From Identity Unknown to a New Genus: The Steere Herbarium as a Driver of Discovery

On October 20, 1950, NYBG Curator Dr. Bassett Maguire collected a specimen from an unknown shrubby plant along the Río Temi in Venezuela. Shipped back to the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium, this specimen was mounted and placed in the indeterminate folder of the family Ochnaceae, where it remained for 75 years without a botanical name. When Associate Curator Dr. Matthew Pace encountered the specimen in 2024, it launched a project that ultimately led to the description of an entirely new genus. This webinar highlights the dynamic role herbaria play in uncovering the full diversity of plant life.